Eames Furniture for Herman Miller
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Ray and Charles Eames designs for Herman Miller included casework, tables, sofas and architectural accessories as well as their ubiquitous chairs. The Eamses had a long and successful partnership with the furniture manufacturer including many products that have been in continuous production for fifty years. Vintage versions of Eames designs are eagerly sought after by today’s collectors.
Eames Designs for Herman Miller
Ray and Charles Eames, along with George Nelson are probably the most famous of the designers who worked in partnership with furniture giant, Herman Miller of Zeeland, Michigan. Known for leading edge design, Herman Miller has included some of the most popular Eames pieces in their catalog since their introductions half a century ago.
Perhaps best know for their chairs, the Eamses also designed tables, casework and architectural finishes, some of which have been brought back into production with the recent renewed interest in mid-century design. Others never left.
The Sofa Compact
Ray and Charles believed that furniture needed to be more than good to look at, it needed to solve the problems of space, storage, and budgets. The Sofa compact folds down for moving and storage, yet provides the support necessary for comfortable seating. Lightweight, economic, and comfortable, the Sofa Compact has been in constant production since its introduction in 1954.
Eames Storage Units (ESU)
After success with seating, they turned their attention to storage and workspace solutions. Their high design yet economic storage units were versatile and attractive and unlike anything then on the market. An obvious machine aesthetic combines with Japanese influence in these Mondrianesque modular cabinets.
These modular units came in a variety of configurations with cabinets, cases and drawers made of dimpled plywood, zinc-coated steel perforated panels, and molded plywood. The modular nature of the components made the parts interchangeable for manufacturing ease, and made the units both affordable and versatile. Case sides were painted hardboard in either neutral series color or brights. The steel legs and crosswire supports went well with the Eames designed table and chair bases.
New ESUs are available in prices ranging from $800-$3000 depending on components. Vintage or original examples from the 1950s and 60s are highly popular with collectors. Prices have come down considerably since 2000 according to Mark Fisk of Mainly Art, a gallery in Cincinnati specializing in Mid-Century Modern furnishings. The pieces are still popular, but the level of interest has brought more pieces to market, so while prices are still high for unusual pieces in desirable colors, values have fallen for the commonplace items.
George Nelson Furniture for Herman Miller
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Along with Ray and Charles Eames, George Nelson designed some of Herman Miller’s most timeless and enduring Furnishings. Collectors look for original benches, sofas, chairs and cabinets. George Nelson helped revolutionize the home furnishings industry with his design philosophies that called for honest use of materials, design as an integral part of any product, and his belief in the existence of a strong market for well designed furniture and accessories.
The Nelson Years at Herman Miller
George Nelson’s greatest impact on the world of design may have been during his tenure as Director of Design for furniture manufacturer Herman Miller (1946-1972, then until 1986 as a consultant). During this time he supported the visionary work of young designers such as Ray & Charles Eames, and Isamu Noguchi. Nelson brought the modernist ideal to the Herman Miller Company , which had been a struggling a manufacturer of traditional office furnishings, thus helping the manufacturer develop the reputation for leading edge design it enjoys to this day.
The Marshmallow Sofa
Possibly his most famous, the Marshmallow Sofa was designed by Nelson and Irving Harper in 1956. The sofa is made up of 22 interchangeable fabric over foam discs that were attached to a metal frame.
George Nelson’s Sling Sofa
Another George Nelson sofa popular with collectors is the Sling sofa. This sofa was designed in 1964, and made of polished chrome plated steel tubing supporting reinforced rubber webbing that in turn supports foam cushions upholstered in leather. A vintage Sling sofa reupholstered in leather can go for as much as $4,000.
The Platform Bench by George Nelson
Few mid-century pieces embody the era like George Nelson’s Platform Bench. At once versatile and sculptural, the piece is a bench, a table or a platform for casework. Designed in 1946 and made of solid maple slats on ebonized wood open loop bases, the platform bench may be the single most knocked-off item in the Mid-Century Modern catalogue. Available in 48″ and 60″ widths, the platform bench is still in production at Herman Miller.
Reference: Leslie Pina, Classic Herman Miller
-Reference note by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.